Fearless
, Nathan Chapman, Taylor Swift |previous = Taylor Swift |previous link = Taylor Swift (album) |next = Speak Now |single 1 = Love Story |single 1 released = September 12, 2008 |single 2 = White Horse |single 2 released = December 7, 2008 |single 3 = You Belong With Me |single 3 released = April 19, 2009 |single 4 = Fifteen |single 4 released = August 30, 2009 |single 5 = Fearless |single 5 link = Fearless (song) |single 5 released = January 3, 2010 (Only on US/Canada country radio) }} Fearless is the second studio album by Taylor Swift. The album was released on November 11, 2008, through Big Machine Records. As with her first album, Taylor Swift, Swift wrote or co-wrote all thirteen tracks on Fearless. Most of the songs were written as the singer promoted her first album as the opening act for numerous country artists. Due to the unavailability of collaborators on the road, eight songs were written by Swift. Other songs were co-written with Liz Rose, Hillary Lindsey, Colbie Caillat, and John Rich. Swift also made her debut as a record producer, co-producing all songs on the album with Nathan Chapman. Five singles were released from Fearless. The first single, "Love Story", sold more than 8.1 million copies worldwide (according to the IFPI).IFPI Digital Music Report 2010 It was a crossover hit that became one of the best-selling singles of all time internationally and was once the best-selling country song of all time. The succeeding single, "White Horse", also performed well in the US. "You Belong With Me" was an international success, becoming Swift's second best-selling single and her highest position on the US Billboard Hot 100 at the time. "Fifteen" and "Fearless" followed with both achieving a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Fearless was an international breakthrough and huge commercial success for Swift. It debuted at No. 1 in the United States, and later became the best-selling album of 2009, selling over 3.2 million copies. It gave Swift, 18 at the time, the distinction of being the youngest artist in history to have the year's best-selling album. It has sold over 7 million copies in the United States.Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Taylor Swift's 'Fearless' Surpasses 7 Million Sold in U.S. Fearless topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand and achieved multi-platinum status in six countries. In all, Fearless has sold more than 9,7 million copies worldwide as of December 2017.Taylor Swift Tops 20 Million in Record Sales Fearless is also the most awarded album in the history of country music, winning Album of the Year at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, the American Music Awards of 2009, the Country Music Association Awards and the Academy of Country Music Awards. Winning Album of the Year at age 20, Swift became the youngest artist in the history of the Grammy Awards to win the award. She would later win her second Album of the Year six years later."Taylor Swift's Fearless album the most-awarded country record" On December 11, 2017, Fearless became the 121st album to achieve a diamond certification in the United States, signifying 10,000,000 album-equivalent units.Taylor Swift now has a diamond-certified album To promote the album, Swift embarked on her first concert tour, Fearless Tour between April 2009 and June 2010. Background Prior to stardom, Swift received a publishing contract with Sony/ATV Music. Over the course of that period, Swift composed over 250 songs, either alone or collaborating with other songwriters, mostly with Liz Rose or Robert Ellis Orrall,Taylor Swift – A Place In This World and refused to give them away to already established acts with intentions of someday singing them herself. When later signed to Big Machine Records, Swift compiled her Taylor Swift album of material written during her publishing contract, and expected to do the same for her second album. She said, "I've been very selfish about my songs. I had this dream of this project [Taylor Swift] coming out for so many years now that I just stockpiled. I'm so happy that I did because now we have a second album full of songs and a third album full of songs, and I don't have to lift a finger."When She Thinks "Tim McGraw," Taylor Swift Savors Payoff: Hardworking Teen to Open for George Strait Next Year However, when embarking on her first and second tour as opening act for Rascal Flatts and George Strait, respectively, Swift continued to compose numerous songs. "I've written a lot of songs by myself lately, especially since I've been alone so much on the road," she said. "I do love writing on the road – I usually write at the concert venue. I'll find a quiet place in some room at the venue, like the locker room."Special Interview (2007): Taylor Swift Discusses Her Debut Album, Early Hits, And How She Got Started As a result of writing subsequent to touring, Swift self-penned most of the material. "I've written like eight songs for the second album by myself. If you're in Arkansas, who's there to write with?"The Billboard Q&A: Taylor Swift During vacation days from touring, Swift collaborated with Rose, musician John Rich, and singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat.Why Taylor Swift's Songwriting Sings In the writing process, she was heavily influenced by Sheryl Crow's candidness and truthful, yet vulnerable storytelling, and Brad Paisley's touching, yet humorous nature; she opened for Paisley. She sought to prolong with centering romantic love the theme of the album. Primarily, she did not want to alienate her fans with songs about life on the road, for she could never relate to songs of the sort when younger. She continued, "I really try to write more about what I feel and guys and love because that's what fascinates me more than anything else – love and what it does to us and how we treat people and how they treat us. So pretty much every song on the album has a face that I associate with it."Living 'Fearless' Taylor Swift talks about her whirlwind rise to the top Despite her revelation of not having kissed a male in two years, Swift said the album was not wrung dry of such inspiration because she still underwent breakups and felt its core emotions. Adding it did not "take much her to get that sort of emotion out in a song",A Swift Kick in the Pants she explained physical intimacy did not have to resort to kissing to feel disappointment, frustration, or heartbreak. Although she had written numerous new songs, Swift decided to also include previously written tracks, believing there were stories she did not have the opportunity to put out with Taylor Swift, and still desired to. Having grouped over 75 songs, recording with Nathan Chapman, who produced all but one song on Taylor Swift, commenced soon after having completed touring with Strait;LIFE: Interview with Taylor Swift in the process, Swift made her record producing debut. Thereon, she and Chapman recorded and cut an abundance of songs to keep the best material on the album. Thirteen tracks were planned due to Swift's fondness for the number; she considers it to be her lucky number. To aid her in choosing the songs, Swift performed various new tracks – "Permanent Marker", "Missing You", "I'd Lie", "Sparks Fly", and "Fearless" – at the Gold Country Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 29 and 30, 2007; only the latter song was chosen for the album.Taylor Swift Concert Review – Gold Country Casino – May 30, 2007 By January 2008, Swift had recorded approximately half of the songs that would remain on the final cut of Fearless.An unassuming ride to Teen Queendom The remainder of the songs resulted from the last two recording sessions: one held in March 2008, the other held sometime in the summer of 2008. When asked to describe the album, Swift commented, "It's the same kind of album I made (in 2006) – just two years older. Sound-wise, it's the kind of songs I like to write, which are country songs, but I guess because of the subject matter and because of some of the melodies I love to use, I guess they have crossover appeal." Title, packaging and release After completing the album's first track, Swift reconsidered her personal definition of the word "fearless".Taylor Swift Says She 'Owed It' To Her Fans To Be Open About Joe Jonas Breakup To her, "fearless doesn't mean you're completely unafraid and it doesn't mean that you're bulletproof. It means that you have a lot of fears, but you jump anyway." She then started contemplating the word to title the album, and to assure she was making the correct decision, applied to every song on the album. Finding a fearless element to the themes and messages behind the songs, Swift decided to title the album Fearless. On the liner notes, she further explained the album title, As with her debut album, Taylor Swift, Swift was very involved with the album packaging. The album's images were photographed by Joseph Anthony Barker, Ash Newell and Sheryl Nields while the cover and graphic designs were executed by Leen Ann Ramey for Ramey Design. Fearless was released on November 11, 2008 in the United States and Canada,Fearless: Taylor SwiftFearless: Taylor Swift and on November 15, 2008, in Australia. The album was then re-released on February 27, 2009, in Australia as a limited edition with bonus tracks originally from Taylor Swift and a new artwork. An international edition was released March 2, 2009, in Spain, and numerous countries followed in the consequent weeks. Platinum Edition Swift had already started composing songs for her next album, what would become Speak Now (2010), but had also written songs she believed did not correspond with her scope of the record. She included them in a re-release for Fearless.Taylor Swift – Billboard Q&ATaylor Swift To Re-Release 'Fearless' With New Songs Some tracks were written much prior recording, while others were done subsequently. "Jump Then Fall" was self-penned by Swift using a banjo and a "feel-good vibe", which, along with its bouncy character, caused for it to be Swift's favorite song on the re-release.Taylor Swift Talks Fearless Re-Release, New Songs Swift also reworked the tempo and replaced the guitar-driven instrumentation to piano of "Forever & Always" for the new version of Fearless. The re-release also included Swift's only cover on a studio album, a rendition of American rock band Luna Halo's "Untouchable" (2007).Nathan Barlowe of Luna Halo talks about Taylor Swift and 'Untouchable' Swift recalled that Borchetta had given her Luna Halo's eponymous second studio album to listen to, and ultimately chose to cover "Untouchable". Swift altered the song both musically and lyrically, and reworking the arrangement and switching the verses while maintaining the refrains similar. Titled Fearless Platinum Edition, the re-release was announced on September 10, 2009 with a release date of October 27, 2009. It was then pushed forward one day, to October 26, 2009.Taylor Swift Is Even More Fearless, One Day Early Fearless Platinum Edition bore a new collector's cover that altered the background color to black and included a CD and a DVD. The CD had an additional six songs – "Jump Then Fall", "Untouchable", "Forever & Always" (Piano Version), "Come in with the Rain", "SuperStar", and "The Other Side of the Door" – placed prior to the original tracks from the album. The DVD comprised music videos ("Change", "The Best Day", "Love Story", "White Horse", and "You Belong with Me"), behind-the-scenes videos (for the latter three), over fifty images (photographed by Austin K. Swift, the singer's younger brother) and backstage footage from the first concert of the Fearless Tour, and "Thug Story" (a video with rapper T-Pain filmed exclusively for the 2009 CMT Music Awards). Promotion To promote the album Swift released four promotional singles, advertised as "Countdown to Fearless". The first promotional single released was "Change" on August 8, 2008. The song was also included as part of the AT&T Team USA Soundtrack (2008).Taylor Swift's Olympics Song on iTunes Friday "Fearless" was released as the second promotional single on October 14, 2008.[https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/taylor-swift-countdown-to/id293154082 Countdown to Fearless] The third promotional single, "You're Not Sorry", was released October 28, 2008. The fourth and final song used to promote the album, "You Belong With Me", was released on November 4, 2008. On June 8, 2008, Swift performed on Clear Channel's Stripped to promote Fearless. Two of the performances would later be released on the Target exclusive version of Fearless Platinum Edition. Singles "Love Story" was released as the album's lead single on September 12, 2008 via digital distribution. The song was highly acclaimed by music critics who complimented Swift's writing style and the song's plot.Taylor Swift – 'Love Story' The track was also a commercial success internationally. It is Swift's best-selling single to date, pushing over 6.5 million copies worldwide since January 2010, therefore establishing itself among of the best-selling singles of all time.Digital Music Sales Around the World In the United States, "Love Story" has sold over 5 million digital downloads as of May 2011 and became one of the best-selling singles in the United States.Week Ending May 22, 2011. Songs: Flooding The Zone It is the best-selling country single of all time, and was later surpassed by Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" (2009) in April 2011.Chart Watch Extra: Lady A Makes Country History Furthermore, "Love Story" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and marked the highest peak by a country song on Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) since Shania Twain's "You're Still the One" (1998). "White Horse" became Fearless second single on December 9, 2008. It garnered generally positive reception with critics commenting that Swift was able to make its message palpable and selecting it among the best tracks on Fearless.Six Great Taylor Swift Songs It peaked at number thirteen in the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on Hot Country Songs. It sold over 1.6 million copies in the United States as of February 2011Week Ending Feb. 6, 2011: Katy Stands Alone and managed to chart in Australia,Taylor Swift – White Horse (Song) Canada, and the United Kingdom.Chart Stats – Taylor Swift – White Horse "You Belong with Me" was released as the third single from Fearless on April 26, 2009. Critical reception for the song was mixed, ranging from "every single Taylor Swift hit sounds the same"Taylor Swift: New song "You Belong With Me" to naming it one of her best songs. However, "You Belong with Me" enjoyed commercial success internationally. In the United States, the song was tied for Swift's best-charting effort with "Today Was a Fairytale" (2010), at number two, until "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" reached number one in 2012. Driven mostly by non-country radio airplay, the song established the largest crossover radio audience since Faith Hill's "Breathe" (2000).T.I., Jay Sean Post High Debuts On Billboard Hot 100 Selling over 3.6 million copies as of February 2011, the track is the third-best-selling country single of all time.Ask Billboard: Britney Spears' '3' Decades of No. 1s Roman White directed the music video for "You Belong with Me", which plot centers on the protagonist secretively loving the male lead, although he has a girlfriend; both the protagonist and antagonist were portrayed by Swift.Taylor Swift – You Belong with Me It won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video in 2009, but during Swift's acceptance speech, rapper Kanye West interrupted, protesting in support of nominee Beyoncé Knowles. The incident caused tumult in the media, with many coming to Swift's defense.Kanye West Crashes VMA Stage During Taylor Swift's Award Speech "Fifteen" was released as the fourth single from the album on September 1, 2009. It was praised by numerous critics for its vulnerability and accurate portrayal of a real teenager.2009 in Review: Pop Music Commercially, "Fifteen" was mildly successful, peaking at number twenty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nineteen on the Canadian Hot 100. In the United States, the song sold over 1.1 million digital downloads as of February 2011. The music video for the single was directed by White and is heavily accentuated with special effects. It features Swift walking through a garden, where she relives many memories with her friend. "Fearless", the album's title track, became the fifth and final single released from Fearless on January 4, 2010. The song generally pleased contemporary critics, many who complimented it for appealing to different age groups.Enough to make you scream The song peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 after its release as a promotional single. During that time, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the sales of over 500,000 digital downloads.RIAA – Gold & Platinum: "Taylor Swift songs" It therefore became the first single released after being certified gold by the RIAA. Once released as a single, "Fearless" was only able to reach the position of number seventy-six.Hot 100 – Week of April 10, 2010 It also peaked at number thirty-two in Spain.Taylor Swift – Fearless (Song) The title track has an associated music video consisting of footage of the tour itself and backstage; it was directed by Todd Cassetty.Taylor Swift – 'Fearless' Tour On April 23, 2009, Swift began her first headlining tour called the Fearless Tour in North America. It ran until July 10, 2010 and had four legs and 105 shows in four countries. Sales for the tour began in February 2009 and tickets for several tour dates and venues were sold out in a record of less than one minute.Swift Tickets Gone before Many Have a Chance to BuyTaylor Swift tickets gone in a flashTaylor Swift Concert Tickets Sell Swiftly (Jonesboro, AR) Critical Reception | rev2 = Blender | rev2Score = Taylor Swift: Fearless | rev3 = Entertainment Weekly | rev3Score = B | rev4 = The Guardian | rev4Score = | rev5 = MSN Music | rev5Score = A− | rev6 = The Observer | rev6Score = Pop review: Taylor Swift, Fearless | rev7 = Q'' | rev7Score = | rev8 = ''Rolling Stone | rev8Score = | rev9 = Slant Magazine | rev9Score = | rev10 = USA Today | rev10Score = Taylor Swift hits all the right words }} Fearless received positive reviews from critics, earning a collective score of 73 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".Fearless by Taylor Swift Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic believed Swift abandoned teen pretenses, styling herself after Shania Twain and Faith Hill prior to becoming divas. He added that Swift presented herself as a "big sister instead of a big star", pointing "Fifteen" as a prime example of it.Fearless – Taylor Swift Despite noting the album's pop music elements outweighed its country music elements and calling it "one of the best mainstream pop albums of 2008", Erlewine said Fearless "never felt garish, a crass attempt at a crossover success". Ken Tucker of Billboard wrote, "Those who thought Taylor Swift was a big deal after the release of her first record be prepared: She's about to get way bigger. Though they're written by a teenager, Swift's songs have broad appeal, and therein lies the genius and accessibility in her second effort."Albums: Fearless James Reed of The Boston Globe believed Swift's charm was in her songwriting and that honesty is what separated her from other teenage starlets at the time who relied on "big-name producers, songwriters, and Disney shows for a music career."Young country star's 'Fearless' proves she's just that, and more Drawing similarities between her ability to "blur the line between commercial country and Top 40 radio", Reed compared the singer to a younger version of the Dixie Chicks. Writing for MSN Music, Robert Christgau found Swift's message about "believing in love stories and prince charmings and happily ever after" distastefully sentimental, but was nonetheless very impressed with the catchiness and "diaristic realism" of Swift's songs. He believed the record "can pass for a concept album about the romantic life of an uncommonly-to-impossibly strong and gifted teenage girl, starting on the first day of high school and gradually shedding naiveté without approaching misery or neurosis".Consumer Guide Leah Greenblatt from Entertainment Weekly stated, "A button-cute blond teen with a pocket full of hits – sounds like the early aughts all over again, no? But aside from sharing, possibly, a box of Clairol, there is nothing remotely Britney- or Christina-esque about Swift."Fearless Greenblatt presumed that at the time her fan base would remain young females due to her way of communicating with them, but would grow over time. Alexis Petridis of the British newspaper The Guardian had mixed opinions about the album; he thought it was certainly "bland and uninventive", yet executed incredibly well. Over the course of listening to it, he queried if more music of the sort was needed, and concluded that "the feeling that the world is going to answer your query in the affirmative swiftly overwhelms you."Taylor Swift: Fearless Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone called Swift "a songwriting savant with an intuitive gift for verse-chorus-bridge architecture that ... calls to mind Swedish pop gods Dr. Luke and Max Martin."Taylor Swift: Fearless Rosen attributed Swift's particular charm to in how intertwined almost impersonal professionalism with intimate and real confessions. Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine believed Fearless pointed out that Swift was capable of having a long musical career. However, Keefe was disappointed in the album, for it did not showcase significant refinements as she did on Taylor Swift; but, with an immature voice and young age, to him, Swift still had enough time to perfect her craft and make a great album.Taylor Swift: Fearless Josh Love of The Village Voice wrote, "This remarkably self-aware adolescent's words don't falter, masterfully avoiding the typical diarist's pitfalls of trite banality and pseudo-profound bullshit."Taylor Swift's Teenage Country-Star Tales, Spiked With Actual Wisdom Chris Richards of The Washington Post said, "In Swift's world, every song is a radio-ready charmer, confirming the 18-year-old's ability to pen a gaggle of consistently pleasing tunes."Taylor Swift, 'Fearless' and Full of Charm He noted Swift's voice was only minimally twangy and her vocal delivery was sugary enough to receive heavy rotation on Radio Disney, yet poised enough to do the same on CMT. He also felt Swift was a talented songwriter, but her consistency sometimes fell into uniformity. Accolades At the 52nd Grammy Awards, Fearless won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and Best Country Album.Taylor Swift Wins Album Of The Year Grammy For Fearless Swift's Album of the Year win made her the youngest person ever at the age of 20 to receive that award, thereby surpassing Alanis Morissette's win for Jagged Little Pill at the age of 21. Six years later at the 58th Grammy Awards, Swift won Album Of The Year again for 1989, becoming the first woman to win the award twice for her own work. Fearless was also the first album in history to win the American Music Award, Academy of Country Music Award, Country Music Association Award, and Grammy Award for Album of The Year in the same year making it the most awarded album in the history of country music.Taylor Swift's Fearless is Most Awarded Album in Country Music History Track Listing References Category:Albums Category:Albums produced by Nathan Chapman